The Thin Ice Over Hell
by NIGHTSHADEsixx
Summary: What happens when all you know crumbles right in front of you? What about when you find out that all you know is a lie, and the people you love most helped carry out that lie? Well there isn't much you can do than act out some vengeance, now is there? I own nothing except for Wind and any other OC that might appear. Please review! Ch9 is up!
1. Chapter 1

"_My soul, corrupted by vengeance, hath endured torment to find the end of my journey in my own salvation. And your eternal slumber."_ I remember when he spoke these words to me the first time. At first I didn't understand at all what he had meant. However, now that so much has happened to me in such a short amount of time, I can now comprehend the meaning behind his words.

My name is Wind Fair. I know, sister of "the great and all mighty Zack Fair." Yep, that's me. I've been living in my brother's shadow since the day I was created. I guess I'm used to it by now. I mean used to, back when I was in SOLIDER, sure it pissed me off then. But now…well things are different than they were back then.

It's funny; I always imagined my life to be one of success. One of glory. I wanted to be a hero to the people who so desperately needed a glimpse of hope. I never fathomed that my life would take the ironic twist of fate that it has. You see, I have been branded a traitor of Shin-ra to the eyes of the common people. A tortured soul, who tries to take the last hopes from the lost and forgotten. What used to bother me the most was the fact that my one dream was to be a SOLIDER 1st class since the day I turned ten. Just like anyone else in SOLDIER, I worked my ass off. But I also had a bigger dream; I wanted to be the hero that was better than Sephiroth, better than Angeal. And they say I betrayed them. Ha! They are the ones who betrayed me with their lies! With all their false hope and pretentious beliefs. Hell, my own brother saw me as a traitor. He never said it, but I could always read him like a book. For a while, all I had was Genesis. He had been my best friend since the day I made SOLIDER. It was just me and him.

And now…the temperature of the hell that had become my life has risen greatly. This is my story of how my pain, hatred, anger, and self- loathing was born. This is how it all started.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey Wind, who'd you get?"

I turned around and saw my big brother walking up to me, his eyes glued to a piece of paper. I looked down at the piece of paper in my hand. "SOLIDER 1st class Sephiroth."

My eyes widened as I read that. My mentor was going to be the greatest warrior in all of SOLIDER. That for me was a lot to take in. "What? No way! That's so unfair!" Zack complained. "So that's how it's gonna be, huh? You get the hero of SOLIDER, and I get some unknown no- name who probably doesn't know the difference between a sword and a gun!"

I stifled a laugh and looked up at Zack to see him giving me a pouty face. I shook my head in amusement. "Well, who is it?"

He looked down at his paper again and read off the name. "SOLDIER 1st class Angeal Hewly."

I looked at him and smiled. "Hey, he may be no Sephiroth, but he's a 1st right? Obviously he can't be that bad. And besides, you shouldn't be complaining. I mean, we actually made SOLDIER!'

He sighed in frustration. "I guess you're right… as always." The last part he mumbled under his breath. Suddenly he turned around with a smile plastered on his face. "Besides, since I'm such the bad-ass warrior that I am, I bet that I'll make 1st before you anyway! Sephiroth or not!"

I turned to walk away. "Mom sure would be proud." I said sarcastically. I yelled over my shoulder "I'll see ya in a bit, I'm gonna go find my dorm. You should try to find yours too!" And with that I was picking my way through the crowd in the lobby. When I reached the elevators, I hit the button that lead to the SOLDIER floor. I exited the elevator and looked down at the paper that was given to me. _SOLDIER 3__RD__ CLASS WIND FAIR. DORM NUMBER F14. UNLOCK CODE 2343. _I looked farther down on the paper as I made my way to the dorm. Apparently my first training session was tomorrow. I just prayed to the goddess that my abilities were enough to impress Sephiroth. I turned a corner and headed in the direction that my dorm should be in. _I guess you'll find out soon enough._ I mused to myself.


	3. Chapter 3

It's been two years since that day. It was quite remarkable at how fast time could make two years go by.

_FLASHBACK_

"_Both of you have made a great deal of progress in your training." Director Lazard commented, his hand on his chin, smiling thoughtfully. "I think it's about time I promote the both of you to 2__nd__ class."_

_ My eyes widened as he spoke those words. I turned around to see Sephiroth behind me. He gave me a quick nod, which I returned with a broad grin. I looked over at Zack to see him consuming Angeal in a bear hug. I looked back at Lazard as he started speaking again._

_ "Being a second comes with great responsibility." He stated seriously. "You will both need to up your training efforts by a hundred percent. If you want to be a 1__st__ you'll need lots of discipline." He studied us both. Then his gaze settled on me. I froze under his penetrating stare._

_ "Tell me, Wind." He paused for a moment, deep in thought. "What is your dream?"_

_ I looked up at him, my face bright. That one was easy! "To become a hero!" I answered with determination._

_ "Hmmm…" he breathed. Then he fixated his gaze on Zack. "And what about you? What is your dream?" Zack looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he answered. "To become a hero!" he stated. __**Of course he would say that,**__ I thought to myself._

_ Lazard put his hand to his chin again, furrowing his brow. "That's good. Unattainable dreams are the best kind."_

_ I remember being dumbfounded at his answer. Next thing I knew, Zack and I had been dismissed from his office. I started towards the door, when I heard someone calling me._

_ "Excuse me, Wind." The Director said to me. "I know you must be eager to start your first training session as 2__nd__ class, but I'm afraid they need to see you in the science department…"_

_END FLASHBACK_

That had been two years ago. I had thought about what Lazard had said that day. Maybe he was right. I mean, who was I kidding? I was just some nobody from Gongaga that had the lucky stars on their side, and made SOLIDER. But how was I supposed to become a hero? All the 1sts were better than me at _something_, and they were the closet things SOLDIER had to heroes. But I just couldn't give up my dream because I had self- doubt. If everyone did that then the whole planet would be one of failure.

Another thing I didn't quite get was why they needed me in the science lab. When I got there, two scientists were waiting for me. I think one of them said his name was Hojo. By the goddess, the guy was a creep! He had the beadiest little eyes! The other one didn't say who he was. They drew some blood from me, their only excuse being that "They_ needed to do some blood work."_ They said that they needed to be sure I was in "_Good health."_ What the hell they meant by that, I couldn't even begin to tell you. Why wouldn't I be in good health? And if I wasn't, why would they give a shit?

After a while, Zack and I received our first mission as 2nds. Tomorrow we are supposed to head out to Wutai. Zack, Angeal, and I. The director said that he would be joining us, and that he was going to evaluate our performances. He said that if we showed enough promise, he would think about making Zack and I 1sts.

The mission was simple enough. Go to some fort in Wutai and "persuade" them to end the war. Meaning kill enough people to scare them into surrendering. The only thing that bothered me was that the mission had previously been given to someone else. A missing 1st. Genesis Rhaspodos had gone missing right in the middle of the mission, putting it in limbo. He even took a vast amount of second and third classes with him, causing a mass desertion.

Right off Genesis and I had made good friends. Our personalities just seemed to mesh together. So it wasn't a surprise that it upset me when he went missing. He never seemed the type to desert Shin-ra like that. He had always been so set on becoming the hero to the people. You know, the guy who gets all the publicity in the newspapers and has all the reporters talking about him. But despite how I felt about him and his desertion personally, the job still needed to get done.

I looked at the digital clock on my bedside table and saw that it was well past two in the morning. I sat on my bed and reached down to pull off my boots. After I unceremoniously threw them across the room, I stretched out on the bed, feeling the tension leave my muscles. I needed all the rest I could get if I was going to beat Zack's ass at impressing the Director. There was no way in hell that he was going to become a 1st before me! I could feel my eyelids start to droop. I mused to myself as sleep finally started to claim me, _"Onward to Wutai!"_


	4. Chapter 4: A New Begining

_**Flashback:**_

_** I was standing on a hill overlooking Midgar. The place felt so strange to me. Almost like it was some sort of…holy land. I looked down farther towards the ground. What I saw made surprised seem like an understatement. Angeal's sword, the Buster Sword, was protruding from the ground, dull and rusted. I guess that use did bring about wear, tear, and rust. Huh, who knew? But the obvious unkemptness of the sword got me wondering; where was Angeal? **_

_** That's when I felt a cold presence behind me. A firm hand was placed on my shoulder as I turned my head to see who it was. It was a boy, clad in tight, black leather armor. His wispy, shoulder length, silver hair blew in the breeze. He moved to my side, and for some reason I felt safe around him. Some deep connection I couldn't explain.**_

_** I turned my head back to look at the Shin-ra building, standing tall and high in the sky. For some reason a bubbling hate surfaced in my mind. My whole life I had been working for Shin-ra, and now…I can't even explain the feelings I was having. They were ones of betrayal, defeat. And even a bit of…self-hatred.**_

_** That's when the boy beside me spoke, his voice silky and light.**_

"_**Wind…you do realize that he's dead, right?" he paused thinking on how to say the next part.**_

"_**He's not going to come back. No matter how long you stand here."**_

_** I looked down at the Buster Sword. Tears brimmed at the corners of my eyes as I replied softly.**_

"_**I know."**_

___I woke with a start. I was lying on an examination table, with doctor Hojo regarding me curiously._

"_So, what did you see? Anything interesting?"_

_ I stared at the palms of my hands, trying to get my eyes to focus and the gears in my mind to start turning. I told him about everything in my dream. The boy, the Buster Sword, and the hate I felt towards Shin-ra. By the time I had finished retelling it all I was shaking greatly._

"_What is it all supposed to tell me?" I asked more to myself than Hojo._

_He breathed for a moment._

"_I guess you'll have to find that out for yourself. I did the dream analysis for you so you could get the answers on why you have been feeling strange. I did my job. What you got from it and what you didn't I can't help." He took a breath. "Now…tell me about this boy…"_

_**End flashback**_

"Hey, have I ever told you two about dumbapples?"

I was brought back to reality when I heard Angeal's voice. Zack looked at me, his face smug.

"No, but it sure does sound like something the kids in high school used to call Wind!" I gave him a dry look as I heard Angeal snicker. We were on our way to Fort Tamblin for our mission given to us by Lazard. I heard from Genesis that any mission with Angeal comes with a story. A very long story.

"I think I heard Genesis mention them here and there." I answered him. Zack let out a long sigh.

"Well I've never heard of 'em!"

Angeal regarded him for a second before he spoke. "How can you expect to make 1st if you don't even know about dumb apples?" he lamented

Zack held up his hands in defense. "Hey I may be brilliant, but I don't know about every little thing!" I stifled a laugh. He actually thought he was brilliant.

"Why don't you enlighten us, Angeal?" I suggest. Hey, if there was a story coming I wanted to get it over with.

Angeal paused t o take a breath before he began.

"Banora Whites; or dumbapples only grow in Banora…."

"Ha, nice excuse!" Zack teased. Angeal just shook his head submissively.

"Anyway I never stole apples from that tree. For the wealthy man's son was my friend."

I, of course, completely understood where Angeal was coming from. If I stole from my friend it would make me a bad friend, it was a simple concept. However, my self-proclaimed "brilliant" brother was not as quick to catch on.

"If he was your friend, why not ask him for some?" Zack asked, clueless. I let out a small laugh.

"Because that would make him a bad friend, "Zack the puppy"!" I shot at him. Zack scowled at the nickname Angeal had given him. He was about to open his mouth to shoot something back at me when Angeal intercepted, laughing.

"Actually, you're both wrong." My face turned to one of surprise at that. I heard Zack cheer enthusiastically "Hell yeah, she's wrong too! WOO!" I shot a death glare at him, causing him to shut his mouth tightly.

Angeal let out a chortle. "I didn't steal from his tree, not just because we were good friends, but also because I had my honor."

I took in what he said. Besides Zack telling me about Angeal's daily lectures about dreams and honor, I had never really given much thought about either of the concepts.

Before I knew it, we were on the cliff right above Fort Tamblin. Angeal was explaining the concepts of infiltration and waiting for the B unit, but to tell the truth I wasn't really listening. Not that it mattered, it was all basic stuff anyway. All I could think about was the fact that the Director would be watching us execute the mission. If we did up to his standards the road to being a 1st wouldn't be a long one.

As I was thinking, an explosion went off somewhere down in the fort. It was B units signal. Angeal brought up his sword to his forehead, closing his eyes. He stayed like that for a moment before he returned his sword to his back, drawing a much smaller one from his side.

"Hey Angeal, I've never seen you use that sword." Zack said curiously. "Why have it?"

Angeal looked at the both of us and answered. "This sword represents my honor and dreams. Use brings about wear, tear, and rust. As you well know." His smile faded into a look of seriousness.

"Alright, let's get moving! Wind, take the exterior walls! Zack, you take the interior! Let's impress Lazard!"

"Gotcha!" Zack and I said in unison. We did a simultaneous back flip down into the fort. I know, we have some real finesse. When we landed Zack looked over at me. He gave me a broad smile and said, "Good luck little sister. BE SAFE!" he stressed. He turned to leave while pointing a finger to me. "I mean it! I don't want to have to tell mom I failed as a big brother!" I rolled my eyes at him. "Back at 'ya!" I called to him. He turned around and bounded off. I did the same in the opposite direction. It was time to impress the Director!

After a while of running I found my first pair of Wutai troops. I ran towards them, swinging my sword over my head, ready to come down on them. I sliced side to side as quickly as I could, moving my arms in a fluid motion. Only a moment had passed and they were both on the ground, bleeding out quickly. _'Long live the Wutai…'_ I mused to myself. I kept running, looking for more of the Wutai troops._ 'I'll be a 1__st__ in no time!'_


	5. Chapter 5

**Zack's P.O.V**

I was running through the forest, the limbs of tree's catching on my clothes and scratching my face. But none of that mattered right now, he had to find them! When he and his little sister had finished up their mission they met up with the Director in a clearing in the forest. That's when a group of masked troops ambushed us. Angeal had told me to take the Director to the chopper waiting at the extraction point and protect them. After the Director had the two infantrymen that had been waiting for him by his side I could go help Angeal fight!

But they weren't there! When I got there Sephiroth was there unmasking the troops. Bet you'd never guess who they were almost identical to. Yeah, that's right. Genesis Rhapsodos. Sephiroth believed that Angeal had betrayed SOLIDER and joined his best buddy's little justice league team. As if Angeal would ever do that!

So here I was running through the woods, calling his name out while praying to the goddess he wasn't hurt somewhere. _'C'mon Angeal!_' I kept running forward, only pausing to look up at the stars for directional guidance. That's when I clashed with another body. All I saw was a blur of long, raven colored hair, before I was pummeled to the ground.

"Damn… ow..." I groaned, rubbing my head. A venomous voice shot back. "Oh, so you're saying ow? You're the one that fucking ran into me, and you still say ow? You are so _pathetic!"_

Well if it wasn't my sweet 'n charming little sister.

"I'm sorry. I was just looking for Angeal." I apologized, even though I shouldn't have to apologize since she clearly ran into me. She scoffed loudly. Gee, someone was cranky.

"Don't bother, he's gone."

I froze at that. Don't tell me that Wind thought that too? I couldn't believe how easily people could doubt Angeal's loyalty to SOLIDER, especially after sitting through all those lectures about how 'you needed dreams and honor to become a hero.' How many of those had she sat through? And she still believed Angeal would actually think about abandoning Shin-ra. Unbelievable.

"So, it's you too then." I shook my head disapprovingly. "And to think I thought you were smarter than that. We both know what kind of guy Angeal is. We both know that he would never, ever abandon Shin-ra…." Wind cut him off violently. "Yeah, and we both know that those guys on the ground look like Genesis, meaning he is behind this. And you and I both know that he and Angeal have been best friends since the very beginning. And the fact that there is even a possibility that those guys can even look like Genesis also means Shin-ra is hiding things. Bad things that might make someone want to betray them."

She paused to take a breath. She closed her eyes and sighed. She opened up her eyes again reviling deep amethyst eyes when she spoke again.

"He isn't going to come back." She said softly. I opened my mouth to argue with her but she turned to walk away from me. "You don't have to believe it…I'm just telling you the facts. It's your choice to believe the truth or not, Zack." She started to walk away. I noticed that she was clutching her arm with a decent amount of urgency.

"What happened?" I asked her, my face twisting with concern. She winced at me.

"I don't need you to be mom, Zack. It's just a tiny cut. It'll be fine."

She walked away without another word, heading towards the extraction point. However, our previous conversation had me rooted to the spot I was standing at. Why was she being so venomous? And how could she be so sure that Angeal would betray us?

**Wind's P.O.V**

I was so glad to be back to Midgar. I couldn't bring myself to go back to the Shin-ra building just yet. After all that went on yesterday, I just wanted time to roam the streets and think about all that had happened, and all the words that had been said.

Director Lazard had deemed our performance level respectable enough to nominate me and Zack for 1st. It's funny, when he said that, there was no rush of excitement through me. I guess it just had to do with all that went down in Wutai. If Zack didn't want to believe that Angeal had betrayed us then that was his call. Hell, I didn't want to believe that he did. But I had been the one right there by his side, fighting the strange masked troops. By the time that the last one laid on the ground with all the life leaving his body, joing the life stream, Angeal was gone. So much for honor.

I walked down the street, picking my way through the bustling people. I walked all to the gigantic fountain in the middle of the sector. When I finally got up to it I plopped down on one of the benches placed by it. I let out a long sigh as I raked my fingers through my long, raven colored locks. My hair was the only resemblance that I held towards my big brother and mother. My skin was lighter and had more creaminess to it than my family's. Theirs had always been much tanner with a bronze color. Even our eyes were different. Mine were a dark, gleaming amethyst color, while theirs were a deep ocean blue. The mako they implanted in us when Zack and I first joined SOLIDER only helped contrast our eyes even farther.

Giving up on trying to brush the tangles out of my hair with my fingers, I reach for my hair holder that I always wear on my arm, planning to just make it look half way decent. I winced as a surge of white hot pain coursed through my right arm. _'Why was it hurting so badly?'_ It had only been a little tiny cut! But every time I moved my arm I was seeing stars. I leaned my head back against the bench, giving up on thinking about things I couldn't possibly get answers to. I closed my eyes.

'_What is wrong with me?'_

Then another thought that caught me completely off guard entered my head.

'_Who was that boy in my dream?'_

_A few days later…_

**Zack's P.O.V**

Banora. Of course they were going to send Wind and I to Banora, with a Turk no less. Just to search for Genesis, who, I'm sorry; at the moment was not any of my concern. Sephiroth could have easily handled this, but _no,_ I and Wind had to go do it. They spoil him too much, damn it! Zack threw his head back in frustration. He didn't know if he could emotionally stand it. He was worried about his little sister too. Wind tried to act all tough with him, but he had grown up with her. He could tell when she was trying to hide what she was really feeling, and this was a prime example of one of those times. Truth was, she cared about Angeal just as much as he did, whether she admitted to it or not.

And that was another thing. She had been acting strangely ever since we left Wutai. On the way back she barley said a word to him and just sat there like a wall as he tried to strike up a conversation. But she'd just sit there, offering the occasional smile while rubbing her right arm. _"It's just a tiny cut, Zack!" _She had said to him. Well if it was so tiny then why did she keep rubbing on it?

Yesterday she went to the science lab to talk to Hojo, no doubt about her arm. It had made me sigh in relief when she told me she was going to. Guess she realized it wasn't so tiny after all, huh? But the thing was that when she came back she said she hadn't spoken to Hojo, but to a man named Hollander. Supposedly, Hollander had scheduled frequent visits for her to come see him. Was the cut that bad? Or was Hollander just a creep that wanted some female company? All I know is that she needs someone's medical help, it being Hollander or not. They were going to be 1sts soon, there would be no room for dilly dally because of an injury!

I took my phone out of my pocket to check for any mail. I sighed to myself._ 'He still hasn't contacted me yet.'_ I thought to myself, frustrated. But I know that he will! He'll call me and tell me what was going on and I would help him, just like he would do for me and Wind. "Yeah!" I said to myself out loud, doing a few squats. I turned in the direction of the training room wanting to practice for when Angeal came back. I'd be leveled up and everything! I started walking towards it.

"Zack." A voice spoke from behind me coldly. That voice could only belong to one person. I turned around to see the source of the voice.

"Uh, heya Sephiroth." I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly. "I don't know where Wind is. Probably getting ready to head to Banora, you know since you won't go."

Sephiroth just kept that cold look on his face, obviously not amused by the comment. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. What's wrong with Wind?"

Zack shook his head, confused. "Nothing, she just got a little injury. She's getting medical attention for it, don't worry." Sephiroth regarded him for a second before speaking. "You know your sister well, correct? If it was just a 'little' injury, do you honestly think she would seek out medical attention?" Zack narrowed his eyes at Sephiroth. "I've seen the wound." Zack deadpanned. "It's not that bad, the blade probably just probably severed a nerve. That's probably what's causing the pain." Sephiroth raised his head a little and walked past him.

"If you say so." He called over his shoulder as he turned a corner. Zack stared at where Sephiroth had disappeared. His blood boiled at the fact that Sephiroth had the nerve to imply that he wasn't taking his sister's injury seriously. The plan to go to the training room was now completely abandoned as he turned in the direction of Wind's dorm. They were to head out to Banora as soon as possible he decided. So he pulled his phone out again, disappointed to see there were no new messages, put it back in its place in his pocket and started walking.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: yay I finally updated again! I have been so busy! Please enjoy! The only thing I own is Wind!**

**Wind's P.O.V**

_I walked into the science lab clutching my arm that was still searing with pain. It had already been two weeks; the cut should have been healed by now. I peered around the room, trying to spot the person I was looking for. After a second I finally spotted the signature Banora Whites T-shirt. Hollander. I walked up to him, his face buried in a clipboard. When I reached him I cleared my throat as to let him be aware of my presence in the room._

_ He looked up from whatever research that was clipped to the clipboard and looked at me, his face turning into a smirk._

_ "Ah, Wind my dear, tell me is that arm still bothering you?" he said in a smug manner which was greeted with one of my signature death glares. However, my venomous look did nothing to take the smug look off his face._

_ "Don't worry my dear I can help you. I've seen this exact thing before…" _

_ Before he could finish whatever the hell he was going to say, Hojo appeared through the doorway in the room. Hojo cleared his throat, gaining both our attention._

"_Hollander, I must speak with you privately."_

I was brought back from my thoughts when I heard Tseng, the Turk Zack and I were stuck with, speak.

"Look, over there by the tree."

I came up beside him and followed his gaze. He was looking at a large dumb apple tree filled with ripe apples. Under the tree was a mound of dirt, a grave.

"It's a grave." I stated softly. Tseng nodded his head in agreement. "Freshly dug." He added. I started walking up to the grave with Tseng and Zack in tow. "I'll check the grave. You two check the houses. It's awfully quiet." Tseng said from behind me. I turned around to face him, a smug smirk on my face. "So Tseng, do Turks really have to do this stuff? Like digging up graves and all that? Must be tough." I said playfully. Zack came up beside me laughing as Tseng shook his head, his own smirk coming on his face.

"Don't worry about it." He stated. "We're paid much more than you." he said as he turned to walk away. My mouth fell open and Zack shouted a very upset "No way!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Wind's P.O.V**

"_Nope, no one in there either…" _I was beginning to give up hope that anyone was still in Banora. I had already checked three houses, all of them empty. _"Maybe Zack was having better luck." _ I closed the door of the abandoned house right as I heard someone walking nearby. My heart lifted. I began walking towards the sound of the footsteps, smiling.

"Hello?" I called out. "Hello?" I tried again. I started walking towards the footsteps faster. _"They are coming from behind the house farthest to the right."_ I noted. I walked towards the house quickly. "I know you're there, I promise I mean you no harm." I called as I grew closer. "I work for Shin-ra. I'm here to help you." When I finally reached the back of the house I froze in place, letting out a gasp. There before me stood a man with a red leather coat with a matching sword at his hip. There in front of me stood my closest friend. He turned to me with a smooth smile slowly forming on his face. He stepped closer to me and I couldn't help my own smile from forming on my face. The man began to speak.

"It's been awhile Wind, hasn't it? You look thinner." He smirked. I laughed breathlessly. I could only think of one thing to say.

"Genesis…"

. . .

I threw myself at him, hugging him as tightly as I could. "Where have you been?" I questioned him. I drew myself back a bit so I could study his face. He had that mischievous grin. "Around."

I drew back from him, laughing while I ran a hand through my hair. I looked up and met his gaze. Amethyst eyes met piercing green ones. I smiled brightly at him. "You're looking good." I said laughing a bit. "I really missed you." I said seriously.

It was true, I had really missed him. Genesis had been my closest friend in SOLIDER and when he left I had been devastated. Speaking of which; why did he leave?

"Why did you leave Shin-ra?" I questioned him, looking him right in the eyes. He didn't back down from my stare, but he didn't give me an answer. "Why did you abandon SOLIDER?" I tried again. He looked away for a moment and let out a sigh. His eyes meant mine again.

"You're not ready." I screwed my face up at his answer.

"Not ready? Not ready for what?" I asked, now feeling quite confused. He shook his head seeming exasperated. "I don't know how to explain this." He muttered to himself. He met my gaze again. "If I were to tell you my reasons for leaving now, I think that you wouldn't be able to even comprehend what I would be telling you." He said.

Ok, now I was confused. Just as I was about to question as to what the hell he was talking about, my arm started to be engulfed with a blistering pain. I cradled it with my other arm, holding it close to my chest. I looked back up to see Genesis regarding me with a questioning stare. I looked down feeling a bit embarrassed. "I hurt my arm on a mission in Wutai." I explained. "It's just taking more time to heal than expected."

To my surprise, Genesis just nodded his head in understanding, almost as if he solved a huge mystery.

"Ah, I see. So it has already begun." Before I could even open my mouth to ask what he meant he continued. "I suppose you will understand sooner than I expected…" he trailed off seeming deep in thought for a moment before he snapped his attention back on me. He smiled happily. "I must be going Wind. But I promise you, we will meet again soon." He turned to walk away before he stopped and turned back.

"I almost forgot." He said. "If you are ever in trouble, just call. Promise me you will?" he asked before he turned to walk away again. I felt more confused than I had ever been in my entire life.

"Of course I will Genesis, but-"before I could finish he had cut me off.

"_My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I? All that awaits you is a somber morrow, no matter where the winds may blow."_

And just like that; Genesis was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

_"What was he doing here?" _ I thought to myself. _"I should've questioned him more. Or make him come with me. I should have done something!" _ I mentally kicked myself. Genesis can't be doing anything good here, why didn't I have the fucking brains to bring him in? Zack probably would have. I cringed at the thought.

"Damn it!" I yelled aloud accidently. I heard footsteps running towards me. "Wind, are you alright? I heard you…scream." He puffed out, gasping for air. I looked at him in disgust. "You need to work out more. You are out of shape." He leaned forward resting his hands on his knees. He looked up at me and gave me a dry look. "I can see you're okay." He said. He stood up straight still trying to get his breathing back to normal. "So did you find anything?" he asked.

I quickly averted his gaze. _"Should I tell him that Genesis is here?" _

"Nothing." I said. A wave of guilt passed through me. He just shook his head in frustration. I met his gaze again. "How about you?" I asked. He paused before answering.

"I found Angeal's mother." I quirked an eyebrow. "And?" I prodded him to continue. Zack took in a deep breath. "Angeal's here, his sword is at the house. She said that he dropped it off and went somewhere. She said he's been gone for a while."

I nodded my head. "What did she say about the people here? Where'd they all go?" I questioned. Zack's face grew dark and he lowered his head as if he was feeling sorrow. "Genesis…he attacked the town." My eyes narrowed and my brow furrowed. "He had more of those copies with him. Genesis… he killed all the people that lived here."

I looked down in disbelief. It was like my whole world was crashing down on me. _"Genesis…how could he? Why would he…?" _I shook my head violently. "No." I denied. "Genesis would never do something like this. I know him." I started pacing around. "Sure he betrayed Shin-ra, but he would never do anything this low. It's just not him-"I stopped pacing and I realized that I had been talking more to myself than Zack. I was trying to convince myself that Zack was wrong, that Angeal's mother had lied. But why would she? Genesis was here, I had just saw him…what else could he be doing here?

I lowered my head as I felt tears stinging the corners of my eyes. _Damn it…tears are for the weak. _I thought to myself. Genesis was my closest friend within SOILDER before he had left. I'd trusted him. I'd loved him. And now…

"DAMN IT ALL!" I growled angrily. I raised my head to see Zack eyeing me concerned. "Wind…" he began but I cut him off. "Where's Tseng?" I asked. Zack looked passed me and his eyebrows went up. "Here he comes now."

I turned around to see Tseng hurrying in our direction. I tried to lock my inner feelings inside and focus on the mission at hand. "What did you find in the grave?" I questioned him when he finally reached us. He seemed only slightly out of breath. "It's more like WHO I found." I furrowed my brow. "Who was buried there?" Zack piped in. Tseng looked at the both of us with a dark stare. "The two agents we assigned to check the place out. I looked down in defeat as I heard Zack let out a curse behind me.

"That's not all." Tseng said mournfully. I raised my head and looked at him in question. "Who else was in the grave?" I asked slowly. I feared his answer. He looked at the ground before he answered.

"Genesis's parents." He let out softly. I felt like I was going to pass out. "You mean…Genesis?" I tried to form a coherent sentence. "No…he couldn't" I felt sick inside, emotions were whirling around in my head. I grabbed at my arm as it started blazing with pain again. "You really think he wouldn't Wind?" Zack asked from behind me. I turned around to face him, my whole body feeling numb. "He already set a siege on the whole fucking town, I don't see why he would spare his parents." I slowly looked to the sky, trying to get my bearings on the situation. "At least he had the decency to put them in a grave." Zack muttered.

"I don't believe this." I whispered, finally letting my gaze settle on my brother. A new thought entered my head. "Does this mean Angeal-"

"NO WAY!" Zack cut me off. I looked at him frustrated. "If Genesis did this, don't you think Angeal would at least have a hand in it?" I questioned. Zack scoffed at me. " Angeal would never do something like this, he-"

"And Genesis would?" I questioned in distress. "Ok, enough." Tseng cut in. "Regardless of who had a hand in what, we need to find both of them." He stepped towards a hill and pointed. "There's a warehouse on the other side of this hill. I saw some Genesis copies go into it earlier; I think it's their headquarters. We'll probably find Genesis there."

I stepped in front of him and continued walking. "I'll take point." I mumbled over my shoulder.


	9. Chapter 9

**Flashback**

_The wind blew the strands of my hair out of my face and the sun shined brightly on my face. I sat with my eyes closed on hill covered with sunflowers, overlooking the ocean. _

"_My soul, corrupted by vengeance, hath endured torment to find the end of my journey in my own salvation…and your eternal slumber." I scrunched my nose up and opened my eyes to look at Genesis who was sitting right beside me. "That was pretty dark." I said. He closed his book of LOVELESS and slipped it back in his coat. "What's it mean?" I asked curiously. He pulled his knees up to rest his arms on them. _

"_I think that you need to figure out what it means for yourself." He said quietly. "That's the only way that you would truly understand it." I continued my stare on him. The wind was blowing strands of his auburn hair out of place just like it was doing to my raven hair. "Ah." I answered him, finally looking ahead towards the ocean. We sat in silence for few moments before I set my gaze back on him. His brow was furrowed in a frown and he seemed to be deep in thought._

"_What's wrong?" I asked cocking my head to the side. He just continued to stare at the ground. I frowned and leaned closer to him. "Genesis?" I said concerned. He wasn't usually like this. "I'm fine." He said in monotone. I raised an eyebrow at him. I crawled from the spot beside him to one directly in front of him. "Hey, my eyes are up here." I said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. The corners of his mouth twitched up in a small smile as he looked at me. "Hey, that's better." I said happily._

_He chuckled and met my gaze and I smiled caringly at him. "Hey Genesis, can I ask you something?" I asked him. He nodded his head slightly urging me to continue. "Promise me that we'll always be there for each other and always friends? No matter what?" His face fell when I finished. I was going to ask him what I said wrong but he started speaking before I could. _

"_Promise me, Wind." He said in all seriousness. "Huh?" I asked feeling confused. He sighed in frustration. "You promise me that." He said. I furrowed my brow. "Genesis, what's on your mind? And don't tell me "it's nothing", because I can read you like a book and I know when something is weighing you down." He shook his head and avoided my gaze. "Nothing is wrong." He said defensively. "Just promise me that you won't lose faith in me. In our friendship." He said quietly. I watched him as he stared at the ground, looking defensless. I was beyond worried at this point; this was not how Genesis acted. Genesis was always smug and sure and confident of himself. And now here he was sitting in front of me looking like he was at rock bottom._

_I knew by this point that Genesis wasn't going to crack and tell me what was weighing him down, but that didn't mean I couldn't try to comfort him. I rose from my place in front of him and moved behind him. When he looked up to see what I was doing, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him from behind tightly and I buried my face in his neck. "I promise." I whispered quietly to him. "Until the day one of us meets their end… I'll stand by you." I tried to get a glimpse of his face and saw that he was staring at the ocean with a look of…was that guilt on his face? "No matter what?" he asked toneless. I just hugged him tighter._

"_No matter what." I said with determination. I felt him roll his shoulder from under my embrace. I pulled back a little to get a good look at his face. "How's that shoulder doing, Gen?" I asked him frowning a bit. A smug smirk came over his face. "You know what I think?" he asked. "What?" he smiled to himself for a moment before replying. "I think you don't need to worry about it." He said smugly. I tipped my head back at let out a light laugh. "Well you better hope that it's doing good, smartass, or Wutai won't be easy for you." I teased him back, giggling. I buried my face back in his neck._

"_Yeah…" he replied quietly._

**End Flashback**

"Genesis…" I mumbled as I snapped back into reality. "What did you say, Wind?" Zack asked me. We were walking through the warehouse that Genesis set up as the headquarters for his little army. "Nothing." I mumbled back to him. I wasn't in the mood to talk. I had promised Genesis that I would stick by his side no matter what, and I had meant it with all my heart but…these things he was doing. The worst part was that I felt myself forgiving him. Forgiving him. He killed the citizens of Banora, and his own parents for fucks sake. But…I can't bring myself to be mad at him or scorn him.

_What's wrong with me?_

"Genesis…what's going on with you?" I whispered to myself. My Genesis would never do this. He would never think about doing anything like this. Genesis always wanted to be the hero and would never do anything that would keep him from that, especially since that had been his dream since he was a teenager. I shook my head furiously, trying to clear it. _"None of this makes sense…"_ I thought to myself. I grabbed my arm when it started to burn again and hugged it closely to my chest. "_One thing I and Genesis still have in common…" _I thought to myself sadly. Truth was that I missed him. I missed his laugh and his snarky jokes. I missed him racking LOVELESS into my brain. I missed his smile. I missed everything about him and that was probably why I couldn't fault him; I wanted to be by his side.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard Zack start speaking. "Shhh… I think I hear something." He whispered. I realized that we had come to a staircase and we started to descend down it. When we got to the bottom we were in a large room with huge windows that let in rays of sunlight. We stood in V-formation just looking around. Then I heard a very familiar voice speak from the far corner of the room. _"Speak of the devil."_

"My, my, aren't we a loud group?" Genesis mocked. He was sitting in the corner of the room with LOVELESS in his hand. He had obviously been reading before we intruded. "Genesis!" Zack exclaimed. "What have you done? What were you thinking? How could-""Calm down…"Zack the Puppy." Genesis cut Zack off. He slowly got up, his gaze scanning over us. I froze when I met his gaze. He gave me a smile which I returned weakly. Zack stepped towards him trying to seem threating. "Why?" Zack demanded. Genesis laughed in shook his head. "They kept their mouths shut at first, all it took where some mild threats and-"Zack cut him off violently. "I'm sure they would have lied for you anyway!" he seethed out. "Or at least your parents would have!" I cast my gaze down quickly at that knowing full well that it got Genesis's attention. "My "Parents" betrayed me. They had always betrayed me from the very beginning." Genesis said matter-of- factly. It was Tseng's turn to step forward. "We found our men in the grave as well." He commented darkly. I took a chance to look up and saw Genesis's hand start to glow. "What do you know, Shrin-ra lapdogs?!" he raged out. My life went in slow motion as he pulled his arm back, ready to strike. "GENESIS!" I yelled out as he launched a fireball at Zack, who narrowly dodged it. Instead the fireball crashed into Tseng. Genesis took the confusion to make his escape. "Genesis!" I yelled as I ran after him, hearing Tseng telling Zack to go.

. . .

There was no way that Genesis could run that fast! He disappeared after about five minutes of the chase. I slowed to a walk when I reached the houses. I looked around trying to pick up any sign that he had been here, but I could see none. I shook my head in frustration and walked over to what seemed like the edge of Banora. I looked down the steep cliff and admired the beauty of the river below. Banora was truly a beautiful place. The whole city just seemed to glow in a mysterious light. The river sparkled and was so clear that you could see the fish swimming through it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

I jumped and spun around quickly drawing my sword, ready to strike. I lowered my weapon when I saw an auburn haired man, clad in red standing in front of me. "Genesis, what's going on?" I questioned him. He just cast his gaze on the ground and advanced towards me. "Why did you hurt the town's people? And…Genesis your parents…" I couldn't finish the sentence when I felt tears stinging my eyes. I absolutely felt beyond over-whelmed. "How could you?" I whispered when the first tear escaped. I turned around ashamed of my weakness, but I couldn't fight the tears. My reality was cracking, and there wasn't anything I could do to hold it together.

"You wish to know why?" Genesis demanded. "I learned the truth, Wind. I found out the bitter truth that Shin-ra had been hiding from me my whole life! The truth they've been hiding from you!" I turned around when he said that. "What are you talking about?" I demanded from him while wiping my eyes clean. "How's that arm doing?" Genesis questioned me. I didn't miss the irony that he was asking me the same question I had always asked him. I just stood there, silent. "That's what I had thought." Genesis commented. "Let me guess, a small wound? Should've healed within a couple days? Sounds a lot like mine was, doesn't it?" my breath hitched. "Do you honestly think that's just a coincidence, Wind?"

I took note on how close he had gotten to me. I shook my head trying to clear it. When the wetness on my cheeks returned I didn't even bother with trying to wipe it off. "Genesis…" I started but he cut me off when he pulled me into a tight hug. "_Three friends go into battle. One dies, the other flies away. The one that is left is alone to drown in the darkness." _He quoted softly into my ear. I couldn't hold it in any longer, I hugged him back as tight as I could and sobbed into his chest. I cried for him, for Banora, for his parents, and for myself. I felt him stroke my hair and his quiet "Shhhs" as he tried to soothe me. "Do you remember what you promised me before I left?" he asked quietly. Suddenly, it all clicked together. He had made me promise that because he knew that this was going to happen. He had known that he was going to abandon Shin-ra and do these horrible things.

"I intend to keep it." I whispered into his chest, even though guilt swelled in my chest. How was I supposed to keep that promise with the things he was doing? Nether less I felt the want to keep my promise. The _need_ to keep my promise. Genesis laughed weakly and hugged me tighter. "That's good." He said lightly. He looked up suddenly when yelling emitted from one of the houses. He stepped away from me and walked towards it. "The fun begins." He announced darkly. Before long Angeal stormed out of the house. "Angeal!" I yelled as I ran towards him, but he just brushed past me. "So it's you to?" I asked him quietly. He stopped mid step and gazed at the ground. "So it is." I answered myself. Zack ran out of the house calling for Angeal to stop, only to be tripped by Genesis. I took a step forward in defense. Angeal started to walk away again with Zack calling after him.

_"My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I? All that awaits you is a somber morrow, no matter where the winds may blow." _ Genesis said directly to Angeal. "Shut up!" Zack snapped at him as he sprung to his feet "What happened to dreams and honor?" he asked, disgusted. Genesis walked over to the edge of the cliff and stopped. "We are…monsters." He said quietly. He brought his hand to his face then flung his arm out. A feathery, jet black angel wing appeared from his back. I gasped in shock, completely taken aback. "We have neither dreams nor honor." He added bitterly. "Genesis…" I breathed out. I couldn't comprehend what was going on anymore. Not that I could comprehend it in the first place.

He turned his head slightly back and our gazes met. "Let me know when you learn how to fly." He said. And just like that, Genesis was gone.


End file.
